If you’re into games that let you do more than just shoot stuff up – games where you actually build something cool and take care of animals and nature – you’re in the right place. There’s something really satisfying about creating a space where wildlife can thrive.
Some of these games even sneak in a bit of learning, but they do it in a way that doesn’t feel like school. Here’s a list of titles where you manage ecosystems, run zoos, or just try not to mess up the planet too much. Let’s take a look.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | Video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Planet Zoo | 2019-11-05 | Simulator & Strategy | Frontier Developments | |
 | Zoo Tycoon | 2001-10-17 | Strategy & Simulator | Frontier Developments | |
 | Alba A Wildlife Adventure | 2020-12-11 | Adventure & Indie | Ustwo Games | |
 | Wildlife Park 3 | 2014-05-12 | Indie & Strategy | b-alive gmbh | |
 | Terra Nil | 2023-03-28 | Puzzle & Simulator | Free Lives Games | |
 | Parkasaurus | 2018-09-25 | Strategy & Simulator | WashBear Studio | |
 | Eco | 2018-02-06 | Simulator, Adventure, Indie | Strange Loop Games | |
 | Jurassic World Evolution 2 | 2021-11-09 | Strategy & Simulator | Frontier Developments | |
 | Endless Ocean Luminous | 2024-05-02 | Adventure & Simulator | Arika | |
 | Animal Crossing New Horizons | 2020-03-20 | Simulator | Nintendo EPD |
Planet Zoo
| Release date: | 2019-11-05 |
| Genre: | Simulator & Strategy |
| Developer: | Frontier Developments |
Planet Zoo puts you in full control of a zoo. From the layout of paths and exhibits to the tiniest details of animal care.
You’ve got to manage health, happiness, and even breeding programs if you want your zoo to succeed.
You’ll be shaping habitats, sculpting terrain, and matching ground types with the help of the Zoopedia.
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Zoo Tycoon
| Release date: | |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Simulator & Strategy |
| Developer: | Frontier Developments |
Zoo Tycoon is the one that kicked it all off back in 2001. It nailed the basics like building exhibits, keeping animals fed and happy, and dealing with guest complaints.
But it also slipped in conservation messages through gameplay and later expansions.
You could track animal populations and even release them back into the wild.
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
| Release date: | 2020-12-11 |
| Genre: | Adventure & Indie |
| Developer: | Ustwo Games |
This one’s mellow in all the best ways. You play as Alba, a young girl visiting her grandparents on a sunny Mediterranean island.
Your mission? Clean up the place and help out the local wildlife. It’s got moments like photographing birds, rescuing animals, and picking up trash that feel good without being preachy.
Bonus: every download helps plant a real-life tree.
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Wildlife Park 3
| Release date: | 2014-05-12 |
| Genre: | Simulator & Strategy & Indie |
| Developer: | b-alive gmbh |
This one’s for players who want detail. Wildlife Park 3 is all about building a park while managing both animals and the people who come to see them.
You’re adjusting things like ground types and enclosure temps to keep the animals happy, and juggling staff tasks so nothing falls apart.
The visuals aren’t super modern, and there’s a bit of micromanagement, but if you like having control over every little thing, this game’s for you. .
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Terra Nil
| Release date: | 2023-03-28 |
| Genre: | Puzzle & Simulator & Strategy & Indie |
| Developer: | Free Lives Games |
Terra Nil turns the whole city-building thing upside down. Instead of paving over nature, you’re cleaning it up and restoring it.
You start with a polluted wasteland and slowly bring it back to life by purifying soil, replanting forests, and letting animals return.
The look and sound of it all is soothing, like a nature doc you control. It’s all about watching something broken become complete again.
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Parkasaurus
| Release date: | 2018-09-25 |
| Genre: | Simulator & Strategy |
| Developer: | WashBear Studio |
Parkasaurus is bright, colorful, and packed with charm. You run a park full of cartoon-style dinosaurs, and as you can guess they come from space.
Exhibit design gets surprisingly deep: you tweak terrain, vegetation, and water to match each species.
There’s plenty going on behind the cutesy style: managing staff, keeping guests happy, upgrading tech, and more.
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Eco
| Release date: | 2018-02-06 |
| Genre: | |
| Developer: | Strange Loop Games |
Eco asks: what if a survival game made you think before you chopped down a tree? You and other players work together to stop a meteor from wiping out the planet, but everything you do has an impact.
The cool part? Players can create laws to protect the environment.
It’s like playing SimEarth with actual consequences and you’ve got to agree on how to keep things sustainable.
| You may like it because |
|---|
|
Whether you’re into forests, zoos, dinosaurs in funny hats, or saving the planet with a group of friends, these games all let you create something that matters.
If that sounds like your kind of thing, any one of them could be your next go-to.